Junction gentrification signalled by a new A&W. Curiosity over the fate of "Hooker Harvey’s," on Jarvis, was a reminder that a fast-food joint can define its neighbourhood. And that may be the case with the new corner tenant of Campbell Block, at Dundas and Keele. The closure of the independent Super Submarine after 40 years has made way for an A&W—a development that has been feared and loathed (but also anticipated). Those window coverings are scheduled to come off any day now.

“It’s going to astonish people how much this sells for.” The federal government has just handed over the Dominion Public Building, at 1 Front Street West, to the Canada Lands Company, and now the property is up for sale without a public asking price. Real estate developer Brad Lamb is already hyping up the potential for a “mega-development.”

There are three different ways to end a sentence with “Eh.” Atlas Obscura’s Dan Nosowitz, who previously probed how Canadians say “about," explores another verbal tic. “Eh” has been acknowledged by linguists as having distinct roles as a criticism, command, and narrative device. Still, no one seems sure of where it came from.

Canadian news media gurus want to squeeze cash from Silicon Valley. Summaries of three Public Policy Forum sessions about the future of journalism were leaked to CBC News. They amount to the usual chatter about copyright laws, tax credits and reeling in the CBC. The executives who participated danced around the idea of a full-on government handout, in the form of a tax on foreign new-media giants, like Facebook. (Today's announcement of $2-million donation to TVO to fund more journalism notes a goal of filling the gap left by empty newspapers.)

Paul Wells lived to tell the tale of 107 days off Twitter. The Toronto Star columnist quit in front-page fashion on September 26, hoping it’d be good for his writing, if not democracy. Over the next few months, he began pacifying himself on Facebook. Apparently the craving to try and get more clicks on his latest “carrots and sticks” couldn’t be overcome.

CTV’s The Social wanks about “normalizing masturbation” in the workplace. No doubt the tenor of TV aimed at housewives has evolved since the double entendre days of The Galloping Gourmet. But hundreds of Facebook fans had to wonder if there was nothing else for this show to talk about:

CBC ombudsman is busy talking about people talking about Donald Trump. Gripes about biased coverage of the president-elect have been piling up in Esther Enkin’s inbox. She says there’s nothing wrong with provocative opinions—let alone using the term “white trash.”